The Faceless Ones

Valkyrie screamed, sprinting toward Skulduggery.

He looked up and reached out to her, but it was too late.

f you've read the other Skulduggery books by Derek Landy (and you really should have read them by now), you've seen it all before: Some bad guy wants to bring about the end of the world, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie fight valiantly to stop it from happening. A few people get hurt, sure, but everything's all right in the end.

Well, not this time.

Reviews

Children's Literature

Skullduggery Pleasant, the skeleton detective, and his teen apprentice Valkyrie Cain, aka Stephanie Edgley, must again battle the forces of evil to save the world. But this time they are barred from the scene of the crime by the Sanctuary, the police force for magical powers in Dublin. Teleporters are being murdered and the Diablerie has infiltrated the Sanctuary. The mysterious Batu and his hitman Billy Ray Sanguine must be stopped. Along with Tanith Low, China Sorrows, and Ghastly Bespoke, Skullduggery and Valkyrie fight to prevent Batu from opening a gate that would allow the Faceless Ones to enter the mortal realm and take over the world. To do so, Skullduggery and Valkyrie must protect the last surviving Teleporter, an arrogant, immature teen named Fletcher Renn. They must also find a black crystal to repair the Sceptor, the only effective weapon against the Faceless Ones. Joining forces with Necromancers, they succeed in stopping the Faceless Ones. Disaster has been averted for now, but the cost is high. At the end of the third adventure of this series, Valkyrie faces a terrible decision: will she need to become a Necromancer to save her friends? In Skullduggery Pleasant, Landy blends humor with darkness and violence to provide a rollicking read for those brave enough to enter his magical world. Reviewer: Shirley Nelson

Children's Literature

Stephanie Edgley has always yearned for something more than the ordinary life she leads. The death of her strange and fantastical uncle Gordon Edgley opens the door to the world of magic, but if you are thinking of fairies, think again! The first surprise comes when she learns that she inherits most of her uncle's not inconsiderable estate. The bigger surprise comes when she meets one of his closest friends, "Skullduggery Pleasant." He is a dead magician who has come back to life, possessed by thoughts of revenge and victory against his old nemesis, Nefarian Serpine, who only wants to end the world as we know it by bringing back the original evil gods with the use of a Scepter that no one believes is real. Did I mention Skullduggery is a skeleton with a borrowed skull plus great fashion sense? Together Stephanie and Skullduggery embark on a journey of discovery and adventure, meeting interesting characters along the way, like the scarred boxer-tailor Ghastly Bespoke; Tanith Low, the troll-slaying lady in black; and China Sorrow, the seductress who appears to have a romantic hold on Skullduggery's reluctant affections. Derek Landy has written a delightful book about a young girl who realizes she's been a heroine waiting to happen all along, as she claims her rightful status as a warrior mage. The following books in the series are sure to be great reads.